Mounting for rifle-telescopes.



Nb. 843,183 PATENTED FEB. 5, 1907.

- F. L. SMITH.

MOUNTING FOR RIFLE TELES O OPEB. APPLICATION FILED AUG 28, 1903. RENEWED DBO. 29, 1906.

5% lemyew To (zll'whom, it may concern:-

gles one to the other, the to escolpe 'to gui 4 .UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK L SMITH, OF CHICOPEE FALL S, MASSACIIUSETTS.

I M O UNTING FOR RIFLE-TELESCOPES.

Be it known thatI, FR DERICK L. Snrrn, a

- citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chi coee Falls, in the county of Hampden and tate of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mountings for Rifle-Telescopes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in telescope-rifles, the object of the invention being to provide a mounting for the telescope in latter is supported on the barrel of which the the firearm and provided with, certain adj usting devices whereb the telescope may be yieldingly supporte( throughout, to the end that if the barrel of the rifle and the telescope. be both grasped by the hand. the telescope will yield, or if it he stood up against the wall or in a rack the telescope will yield, and thus the thin tube of thelatter will not be subjected to any strain or'shock which would injure it,

a further object of the invention being to provide means whereby the telescope may be eld against two abutments horizontally and vertically disposed substantiall at right anspring-pressed equally against bot means being rovided on the horizontal abutment (Te the telesco e in a vertical plane independently of' its ateral'adjustment; and the invention consists in the construction described in the following specification, and clearly pointed out in the claims forming a part thereof.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a telescopemounting and embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a like View of the mounting, showing the manner of ap lying it to the barrel in an offset position re ative to the latter. Fig. 3 is an ed e view of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional el evation' of a modification of the mountings shown in the hpreceding figures. Fig. 5 is an elevation of t e rear mounting, showing still another modification of the construction.

In these drawings, a may indicate the riflebarrel, 1) the telescope-111011nting, and c the telescope.

The letter 1) indicates the mounting as a Whole, said mounting comprising the um] ular or oval member through which the telescope passes and a base, (indicated by (L) whereby the mounting is secured to the barrel. This may be located, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3,1elative to the annular member to locate the lat- Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed August 28, 1903. Renewed December 29.1906.v Serial No. 350.008.

being .a tightened screw m Patented Feb. 5,1907.

ter centrally over the barrel, as shown in Fig. 1, or it may extend to one side or the other, as shown in Fig. 2, whereby the telescope may be so mounted on the barrel as to bring it in. line therewith, but one side thereof, to the end that it may not interfere with the use of the regular rifle-sights, which may be 'located in their usual positions. The particular form of the base is innnaterial, and the location of the telescope relative to the barrel is also immaterial.

The adjustin r devices for the telescope are screws, of whic one, e, is vertically located plunger is mounted in a hole bored in a bush-' ing 7/. from the inner end thereof, which bushing is screwed into the mounting, as shown in Fig. 1, a spring 71 being compressed between the plunger and the end of said bushing. The inner end of the screw f is provided with a relatively large flat head 9', the face. of which is at'right angles to the axis of the screw, whereby provision is made to guide the telescope in a vertical plane during its adjustments in that direction. By this means the telescope may be adjusted vertically without being t rown out of line horizontally, it being obvious that without this head the limit of the vertical adjustment of the telesco' )e would be determined by the diameter of the end of the screws in the mounting.

Preferably the adjusting-screws c and f are provided with micrometer-scales, as shown in the drawings, (see Fig. 5,) and preferably the mounting is split, as at /r, and passed through the split portions, whereby when the adjustingscrews have been operated to sight the rille thc screws/1. is turned up and the screws locked in their adjusted positions.

in Fig. 4 of the drawingsthere is shown a mounting for the muzzle end of the telescope, in which the latter is capable of vertical adjustment only, but in which the principle of the. two-point bearing is carried out in a manner which seems clearly to fall withinthe scope of the invention. In this construction the. two'points ol' abutment for the telescope are the end of the screw 0 and the vertica side 7) of the mounting, thelatter serving as the vertical guide for the telescope, a springlunger q, located in the base d, pressing t \e telescope against these two points referred to. In this form of construction a binding-screw r may be used, if desired. Another slight modification is shown in Fig. 5, which consists in substituting a screw 5* for the spring-actuated plunger g. The latter, however, is preferred.

From the foregoing description it is seen that accurate adjustments for the telescope are provided, both vertical and horizontal, whereby the rifle may be accurately sighted, and that the telescope is spring-pressed against two points only, and is so' arranged l l l l I that it may be mo\ 'e'elaway from these points and when returned to position tl'iereagainst I will occupy the same position relative to the axis of the barrel as before removal, thus eliminating possible error. so supporting the telescope it will yield under Furthermore, by I pressure or from any shock, and thus prcserve the tube from inj'ur Having thus described my invention, what I. claim, and desire to secure for Letters Patent, is

l. A tclcsci)pe-mounting consisting of a member to encircle the telescope, two radially-disposed adjustlug-screws extending through said member and constituting two abutmeuts lor the telescope arranged substantially in Vertical and horizontal planes, a spring located equidistant from each of said abutments to press the telescope against the latter and to permit it to yield under pressure, in the opposite direction.

2. A ielescope-iuonnting consisting of a member to encircle the telescope, two radiall \'-dis n sed adjusting-screws extending through said member in substantially vertical and horizontal planes and constituting two abutments for the telescope; there being a vertically-disposed bearing-surface on said horizontally-located screw having a height greater than the range of adjustment of said Vertically-disposed screws, and a spring located opposite and midway between said adjusting-screws to press the telescope equally against the ends of the latter, and to permit it to yield under pressure, in the opposite direction.

3. A telescope-mounting consisting of a member encircling the telescope, a verticallyand a horizontally disposed adjusting-screw in said member against the ends of which the telescope may bear, and a spring constituting the third point of support for the telescope, located opposite andmidway between said adjListing-screws whereby the telescope is pressed equally against the ends of said screws, and whereby it may yield under pressure, in the opposite direction.

4. The combination with the barrel of a rifle, of a telescope mounted thereon, supports on the barrel'for the telescope, bearingscrews in the supports for the telescope, and springs in said supports and between said screws to press the telescope away from the barrel.

5. The combination with the barrel ofa rifle, of a telescope mounted thereon, supports on the barrel for the telescope, springs between the barrel and telescope to press the latter away from the barrel and against said supports, and adjusting-screws in one of the supports to effect the horizontal and vertical adjustment of the telescope.

FREDERKK 1,. SMITH.

iitnesses:

WM. 11, CHAPIN, R. H. BAKER. 

